Yuanhui (Kim), Gao

Oct 7th, 2014

500-Level Writing
1. A brief description of the artifact: what is it? How is it used?
This artifact is from an observation class, which is a 500 level writing. The
artifact is an exercise for the students to finish. There is an example narrative essay
and there are several questions about the narrative essay, which the students need to
answer. Firstly, the teacher reviewed the knowledge about the elements of an essay
with all the students. The teacher wrote the elements on the board, and then the
teacher gave the students a handout about the definitions of the narrative essay and
the elements for a narrative essay. The teacher read and explained the handout.
Thirdly, the teacher gave the this artifact to ask to read the example narrative essay
and then find out the hook, the main character, the place, the time, the main idea and
the controlling idea for the introduction paragraph. Besides, the students should find
the main ideas for each body paragraph, and the restatement of the thesis in the
conclusion paragraph. The teacher asked the students to get into groups to talk about
their answer when they finished. The teacher checked the answer with the whole class
after their discussion.
2.

Explanation of what new ideas, information, or awareness came from this

artifact.
Giving an example essay and asking student to analyze it help the students to
learn how to writing an essay, which are very useful and efficient. According to

Raimes (1989), analysis is very valuable for student to critical reading of their own
writing, to revising and to editing. To analyze an essay, Raimes (1989) gives several
examples to realize. One of examples is to give the students a short passage with a list
of questions, which likes this artifact. Analysis others writing can help the students to
organize their thoughts in writing. By finishing this artifact, the students can learn
how to organize a narrative essay. Moreover, this artifact can also be a written model,
because it has an example narrative essay. Based on Raimes (1989), the models will
encourage students to think about the form. The model becomes an example for
students about what they could do instead of what they should do.
3.

Reflection on how this will impact your approach to teaching and learning.
This artifact is very useful and suitable for the level and the content of the class.

This class was the first class for teaching narrative essays. The teacher began to teach
the form of a narrative essay, and then the teacher provided this example essay and
asked student to analyze it, which was a good way to test the students if they knew the
form of the narrative essay. By analyzing others essay can help students to come up
some ideas about their own essays, which can help students for their own writings. I
would like to use this artifact in my writing class. I will change the passage and the
questions for different context and contents to fit my lesson.

References:

Raimes, Ann (1989), Techniques in Teaching Organization, Techniques in

Teaching Writing. Oxford University Press.